<strong>Houston Spirit</strong>
The Texans showed this past season that the city has spirit. Then again, there were 20,000-plus that showed up for games of the struggling Astros last year. If that doesn't say spirit, we're not sure what does. less

<strong>Houston Spirit</strong>
The Texans showed this past season that the city has spirit. Then again, there were 20,000-plus that showed up for games of the struggling Astros last year. If that doesn't ... more

Photo: Dave Einsel / Associated Press

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<strong>Houston Oilers</strong>
It worked very well for the city once before.

<strong>Houston Oilers</strong>
It worked very well for the city once before.

Photo: Steve Campbell / Houston Chronicle

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<strong>Colts .45s</strong>
It's what the Astros were called before they were the Astros. And, it's just a cool nickname.

<strong>Colts .45s</strong>
It's what the Astros were called before they were the Astros. And, it's just a cool nickname.

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<strong>Houston Hurricanes</strong>
This one might strike too close to home.

<strong>Houston Hurricanes</strong>
This one might strike too close to home.

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<strong>Houston Generals</strong>
Our fine city was named after General Sam Houston, after all.

<strong>Houston Generals</strong>
Our fine city was named after General Sam Houston, after all.

Photo: Fredericks Gallery / Fredericks

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<strong>Houston Buffaloes</strong>
We've been there before, a long, long time ago.

<strong>Houston Buffaloes</strong>
We've been there before, a long, long time ago.

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<strong>Houston Storm</strong>
They come around from time to time here.

<strong>Houston Storm</strong>
They come around from time to time here.

Photo: Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle

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<strong>Houston Energy</strong>
We are the Energy Capital of the World and all. But what would the mascot be?

<strong>Houston Energy</strong>
We are the Energy Capital of the World and all. But what would the mascot be?

Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images

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<strong>Houston Stars</strong>
They are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas.

<strong>Houston Stars</strong>
They are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas.

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<strong>Houston Heatwave</strong>
Makes perfect sense for our city. Then again, the team does play indoors. So ...

<strong>Houston Heatwave</strong>
Makes perfect sense for our city. Then again, the team does play indoors. So ...

Photo: Matt Rourke / AP

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<strong>Houston Sharks</strong>
Name might strike fear into opponents. Much more so than White Sox.

<strong>Houston Sharks</strong>
Name might strike fear into opponents. Much more so than White Sox.

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<strong>Houston Cannons</strong>
If they can't go back to the Colt .45s, this might be as close as they can get.

<strong>Houston Cannons</strong>
If they can't go back to the Colt .45s, this might be as close as they can get.

Photo: Steve Helber / Associated Press

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<strong>Houston Hawks</strong>
Nice alliteration anyway.

<strong>Houston Hawks</strong>
Nice alliteration anyway.

Photo: John Bazemore / Associated Press

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<strong>Houston Arrows</strong>
It sounds the same as the Houston Aeros hockey team, anyway.

<strong>Houston Arrows</strong>
It sounds the same as the Houston Aeros hockey team, anyway.

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Why should discussing an Astros name change be taboo?

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Astros owner Jim Crane veered off message just a wee bit.

Having extended an olive branch to fans by reducing ticket prices and reversing the team policy of banning customers from bringing food and drinks into Minute Maid Park, Crane proceeded to do a surprising thing. He gave a forthright response to an unrelated question about whether he is considering changing the team name.

“We’re looking at the name,” Crane said. “I said earlier that the Astros will be here, but we’re looking into that, too.”

This is a reversal of what Crane had said about the Houston name the day Major League Baseball approved his bid to purchase the team from Drayton McLane: “Astros are here to stay.”

“We haven’t said we’re going to do that, so don’t jump to any conclusions,” Crane said. “But sometimes change is good.”

Keep in mind, Crane also said he’s looking into changing the uniforms, the much-debated Tal’s Hill in center field and a number of other things. He has made sweeping changes in the baseball operations, bringing in Jeff Luhnow and a data-driven approach to rebuilding the worst team in the major leagues. Real change takes time, so Crane is wasting none in getting started.

If anything, Astros fans should have at least some cautious optimistism after Crane’s first two months as owner. Crane may not be the glad-hander that his predecessor is, but he is building up a track record of saying what’s on his mind even when it’s not always what people necessarily want to hear. Crane hasn’t pretended that there will be any quick fixes, and he has been upfront about the reality that the payroll will go backward before it goes forward.

Crane strongly hinted the first day the team was his that some ticket-price reductions were coming. And exactly four weeks before the Astros assemble for their first workout of spring training, he delivered.

In recent weeks, team president George Postolos said, Crane has met with hundreds of season ticket holders and has reached out to numerous corporations.

“Jim has been talking to fans and he’s been listening to them and he wanted to respond to them,” Postolos said. “It starts and ends there for us. He came back and said, `How can we come back and address these concerns?’ Instead of taking six months to figure out what to do, he wanted to get it done right away. Frankly, I think we’ve taken longer than we wanted.”

The day MLB completed the transfer of power from McLane, Crane hinted strongly that he’d be swift and decisive about how to proceed with the baseball operations. He said he’d be making a few moves right after Thanksgiving, and he followed through with the dismissal of team president Tal Smith and general manager Ed Wade. When it came time to find somebody to run the baseball operations, Crane landed a well-rounded executive – Luhnow – who helped build the St. Louis Cardinals into a World Series champion. Luhnow is trying to marry advanced data analysis with old-fashioned, boots-on-the-ground intelligence to make the Astros relevant again.

Crane caused a bit of a stir with his admission on Monday that the Astros name might be subject to review. But is it a bad thing that he wants to at least explore all plausible options? With a move to the American League having been foisted upon Houston starting in 2013, with the team coming off its worst season in history, there is no time like the present to consider just about anything.

A uniform change would seem to be a given, what all the merchandising opportunities that would come with it. Teams change uniforms all the time, and the brick red and pinstripes have not conjured a lot of good feelings lately. A name change would be a considerably more radical undertaking – one the franchise has already experienced once. There already has been enough push back from fans on this front for the Astros to have delivered a couple tweets on the matter.

First, there was this: “Jim Crane is the most open-minded owner in sports, and he is considering anything that will potentially improve the fan experience.”

Then there was this: “To be clear, nothing is decided concerning a change to the team name. We invite you to continue the discussion & assure you we are listening.”

When a team is coming off a 56-106 season and has no stars on the immediate horizon, what’s the harm in such a discussion? The Astros name was a wonderful fit when the team moved to the Astrodome, dovetailing nicely with Houston’s emergence as Space City. But with the uncertain future of NASA, is the time going to come when it might behoove Houston to be identifiable in some other way? Asking the question isn’t an assault on all that’s good about Houston.

The old Colt .45s name might have a certain allure to the old guard, but in a world where societal pressures turn the NBA’s Bullets into Wizards, it’s not going to happen. Maybe the fandom could warm up to another incarnation of the Buffaloes, the minor-league team that preceded the Astros. Maybe the light-hearted suggestion of Astros analyst Jim Deshaies will carry the day: Screaming Yellow Parakeets.

But what’s wrong with a new owner at least exploring possibilities? What’s wrong with the owner speaking his mind, of giving the fans at least an inkling of the directions he’s considering for the franchise? Isn’t an open discussion now, when people’s voices could make a difference, better than a blindside later?

Besides, the new owner going off message makes for a better conversation than pondering whether the Astros can win 60 games in 2012. There will be more than enough time for all of that.